Fluid-supplied roller applicator



April 12, 1960 H. H. RABELOW 2,932,045

FLUID-SUPPLIED ROLLER APPLICATOR Filed Dec. 27, 1955 U itd Sta es Pat m2,932,045 FLUID-SUPPLIED ROLLER APPLICATOR p This invention relates toapplicators for ink or the like, and more particularly to a fountaintype of applicator for stencilling or similar operations.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision ofa novel roller type of applicator particularly for applying ink instencilling operations which enables increased speed in such operations;the pro-' vision of an applicator of this class which eliminates anynecessity for accessory equipment such as ink pads, stamp pads, etc.,the applicator being of the fountain type and holding its own supply ofink or other liquid; the provision of an applicator of this class whichenablesthe use of a relatively thick ink; the provision of anapplicatoi' of this class having a valve means for controlling the flowof ink to the roller; the provision of an appli-I cator of this class ofsuch construction as to avoid'spattering of ink; and the provision of anapplicator of the class described which'is economical to manufacture andreliable in operation. Other objects and features will be in partapparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafterdescribed, the scope of the invention being indicated in the followingclaims.

In 'the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a forward end elevation of an applicator of this invention,parts being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2A is an enlargedfragmentary view taken on line 2A-2A of Fig. 2;and p i Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, partsbeing further broken away and shown in section.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corre-' sponding partsthroughout the several views of the 'drawlngs.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1-3 illustrate aforcefeedsqueeze-action type of fountain roller applicator of thisinvention comprising -'a body 1, a roller 3 carried by the body, and acollapsible container 5 constituting a reservoir for'ink or the like andforming a handle. The container is detachably connected to the body,which has a passage therethrough generally indicated at 7 for flow ofliquid (ink) from the. container 5 to the roller 3 and valve meansgenerally designated 9'fo1 controlling the flow of liquid fromthecontainer 5 to the roller.

More particularly, the body 1, which may be cast of any suitablecorrosionresistant metal, for example, has a portion 11 constituting ahead, and integral arms 13 and 15 extending at right angles to the headat its ends. The

roller 3 comprises a rigid core 17 which may be made hole 27 inthe arm13; A cap nut 29 is threaded on the threaded end of the pin to lock itin place. The

- bore 41 constitutes the inner end of the passage 7. The

I are spaced along the length of the hole 47.

roller 3 is rotary on the pin. The pin may be slotted at one end asindicated at 31 for easy removal.

As shown best in Fig. 2, the head 11 is generally of V shape intransverse section, the open side of the V being directed toward theroller. The wings of the V, which are designated 33 and 35, aredivergent toward and have their outer edges closely adjacent theperiphery of the roller to act as'shields to prevent spattering of fromthe roller. The recess defined by the wings or shields 33 and 35 isdesignated 37. It extends throughout the length'of the head from one arm13 to the other arm 15.

Extending rearward from the head at its center is an integralcylindrical socket 39. The axis of this socket is angled with'respect tothe arms 13 and 15 with the arrangement such that the arms extendforward and downward from the head when the socket is in the horizontalposition illustrated in Fig. 2. The socket 39 has a bore- 41. and athreaded counterbore 43 at its outer end. The

shoulder at the inner end of the counterbore is designated 45 A hole 47is drilled 'in the head 11 from one end and terminates short of theother end of the head (see Fig. 1); The outer end of the hole 47 isplugged as indicated at 49. A hole 51'is drilled in the head to connectthe bore or chamber 41 and the hole 47. Holes 53 are drilled in the headfrom within the recess 37 to intersect the hole 47. These holes 53, fourof which are shown The valve means 9 comprises a valve seat 55constituted 'by a metal disk having a central port 57. A conical valve59 made of corrosion-resistant metal has 'a stem 61 extending throughthe port 57. The valve seat 55 is fitted in the counterbore 43 seatedagainst the shoulder45. The valve 59 is located on the side of the valveseat toward the chamber 41, and the stem 61 extends out wardthrough theport 57. A sheet metal springretainer member 63 is fixed on the outerend of the valve stem 61. as by riveting. A coil compression spring 65surrounds the stem 61 between the valve seat 55 and the member 63 andbiases the valve 59 to a closed position seating against the seat 55.The port 57 in the valve seat is larger than the valve stem 61 so thatliquid (ink) may flow through the port whenthe valve is opened, i.e.,when the valve and valve stem are moved from the closed position shownin Fig. 2 to the left. The end of the port 57 toward I the chamber41 istapered as indicated at 66 to receive the conical valve 59. In the taper66 is a small groove 66d (see: Fig. 2A). The container 5 is preferably aone-piece plastic con} tainer of the squeeze bottle type. It ispreferably molded of polyethylene and has an externally'threaded neck 67removably threaded in the counterbore 43 of the socket 39 with the endof the neck engaging the valve seat55 to hold the latter in place. Thecontainer or bottle 5 is screwed tightly into the socket in order toformat liquid-tight seal between the end of the ne'ckan'd the valve seatand between the valve seat and the socket.

The member 63 on the outer end of the valve stem is of hardwood, forexample, having a soft, resilient, porous covering or sleeve 19 adheredthereto. This covering is preferably made of a very soft foam rubber.The core 17 has an axial hole 21 drilled through it receiving a pin 23.This pin at one endis threaded in a tapped hole for guiding of the valvestem in the neck of the bottle 2'5 inthe arm 15, and has its other endreceived in' a and for passage of ink'and air around the member 63. e Asshown'in Figs. 1 and 2, the applicator is provided with a transfer roll69 in the recess 37. This transfer e n an .1960.

sesame.

mil which is made of felt or other suitable absorbent material, ismounted on a pin 71 having one end threaded in a tapped hole 73 in the.arm 15 and its other end received in ahole- 75 inthearm 13. Thetransferroll isin contactwith the roller 3 and is adapted to holdasupply of ink for transfer to the roller 3. It is useful in cases.

where the applicator is to. be used only infrequently, in which case theprovision of a reserve supply of ink in the transfer roll isadvantageous. In. cases, where the. 3P- plicator is to be frequentlyused, the roll 69 may be entirely omitted,

Operation is as. follows: 1

For filling the bottle 5. with ink, it is removed from the head 11 byunscrewing it fromthe socket 39. After it, has been filled withink, itis. then screwed back into the socket. Care is taken to insure that theend of the neck 67 of the bottle seats tightly against thevalve seat 55to provide for sealing against leakage. When the neck of the bottle is.screwedinto thesocket, the guide member 63 enters the. neck of thebottle as shown, in F g; 2;. By Squeezing the. bottle 5, pressure isapplied to the valve 59 to. cause. it to open and to effect force-feed.flow of ink from the bottle intothe chamber 41, thence through the hole51 to the hole 47 which serves as a manifold, andthence. out through theholes 53 to the transfer roll 69. Upon rolling the roller 3 back andforth over a stencil, for example, the transfer roll is rotated to,effect transfer of ink therefrom to the roller 3 and thence to the itembeing stencilled. In the cases. where, the transfer roll is omitted, theflow of ink is from the holes 53 along the inside of the wing 35 of thecrossbar to the, roller 3. Spattering or splashing of ink is preventedby the shields 33 and 35. When pressure on the bottle is. released, thevalve 59 closes, but air flaw v nast hev l eb c n o he bottle through.the. e sase on tu d. y the gro ve. 66a nd the port 57 and. around themember 6 3 quickly to restore, the bottle to itsexpanded state. Thegroove 66:; is sutficiently large readily toallow for flow of; air.buttoo small to allow any. u due l akageof the; ink which i thick) whenthe valve 59-is closed.

The above-described. squeeze-action type of applicator is especiallysuitable for the application of heavy viscQS Y nk because it enables theink to be p p ut. of; the. b t l an eliminate any nec si y for. wai ingfor gravity feed of ink, thereby saving time. It willbe obiserved thatby removing the bottle. the entire. valve means 45 is readilyaccessiblefor cleaning when neces- 8. 3 Inview of the above, it will be,seen that the several objects. of the invention are. achieved, and otheradvantage- Que-res lt at aine As variouschanges could be made. in, theahQve coni structions without departing from the scope of the invention,it isintended that all matter contained in. the above description orshown in the accompanying drawings shall be. interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

I claim: :1 7

1. Adapplicator for ink orthe like, and particularly for spreading a;relatively thick ink over a. stencil, comprising a head having anelongate recess therein, a trans.- fer roll'carried by the headextending lengthwise of and within, the recess applicator rollercarried, by the head. outsidetherecess. and engaging said transfer roll,Said. roller having a soft, resilient, porous surface, said head, havinga manifold therein parallel to the transfer roll, andadjacent the recessand a'series of holesfrom the manifold to the recess spaced'at intervalsalong the leng h; Qf he manifolds a c n r lly located. ex ension on hhea having p s ge. le di g nto the ma if l a re er d r forming; a.handle. se ur d. to ai ex n ion,

socket, said valve means comprising a valve seat in the socket, a valvehaving a valve stem extending into the neck of the bottle, a springbiasing the valve to a closed position against the seat, said valvebeing adapted to open against the bias of the spring upon squeezing thebottle, and a guide on the valve stem slidable in the neck of thebottle, said guide being formed to allow for passage of ink and airthrough the neck of the bottle, said socket having a bore and a threadedcounterbore at its outer'end, providing a shoulder at the inner end ofthe counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in the counterbore againstthe shoulder, and the neck of the bottle being threaded in thecounterbore against thevalve seat.

2. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the valve seat has acentral port, wherein the valve is located on the side of the seattoward the bore, the stem extending outwardthrough the port and beingsmallerthan the port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of thestem, and wherein the spring is a coil compression, spring surroundingthe stern and reacting from the seat against the guide.

for spreading a relatively thick ink over a. stencil, comprising a headhaving an elongate recess. therein, a transfer roll carried by the headextending lengthwise of and within the recess, an applicator rollercarried by the head outside the recess and engaging said transfer roll,said roller having a soft, resilient, porous surface, said head having amanifoldv therein parallel to the transfer roll' and adjacent the recessand a series of holes from the. manifold to the recess spaced atintervals along the length of the manifold, a centrally locatedextension onthe head having a passage leading into the manifold, a.reservoir forming a handle secured to said extension, valve means insaid extension for controlling the flow of ink or the like from thereservoir into the manifold, said extension comprising a socket, saidreservoir comprising a squeeze bottle having a neck threaded in thesocket, said valve means comprising a valve seat in the socket, a valvehaving a valve stem extending into the neck of the bottle, a springbiasing the valve to a closed position against the seat, said valvebeing adapted to open against the bias of the spring upon squeezing thebottle, and a guide on the valve stem slidable in the; neck of, thebottle, said guide being formed to allow for passage of ink and airthrough the neck of the bottle, andv said applicator being; providedwith a passage for flow of air past the valve into the bottle when thevalve is. closed, said passage being sufliciently large readily toallow. for flow of air but too small to allow undue leak age. of inkfrom the bottle when the valve is closed.

4. An. pplicator as. set forth in. claim. 3.. wherein.v the passage forflow of air is constituted by a groove in the valve seat.

. 5. An applicator for inkor-the like, and particularly of. the, recessbetween said end walls, arms projecting alve. me ns in. said. en ion fr. ontrolli g h flow of nk .1. the lik fr m he r serveir in o. h m nifld, said ex ns compr sing a socke said r ervoir. comprising a. sa ene:bottle having; a neck threaded. in. the

outward from said end walls beyond said front and back Walls, a rollerextending between and carried by said arms and engaging said transferroll, said roller comprising a. rigid core having a soft,-resilient,porous covering, said. front'and back walls having their outer edgesclosely adjacent the periphery of the roller and therebyacting asshields to prevent spattering from the roller; said head having amanifold extending from near one end thereof to near the other withinthe juncture of the divergent front and back walls and a series of holesfrom the manifold to the recess spaced at intervals along the length of'the manifold passage, a centrally located socket extending re rw rd.from the head. witha. pas

3. An applicator'for ink or the like, and particularly sage from thesocket to the manifold, a squeeze bottle forming a handle and having aneck threaded in the socket, and valve means in said socket forcontrolling the flow of ink or the like from the squeeze bottle into themanifold comprising a valve seat carried by the head, a valve having avalve stem extending into the neck of the bottle, a spring biasing thevalve to a closed position against the seat, said valve being adapted toopen against the bias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and aguide on the valve stem slidable in the neck of the bottle, said guidebeing formed to allow for passage of ink and air through the neck of thebottle.

6. An applicator as set forth in claim wherein the socket has a bore anda threaded counterbore at its outer end, providing a shoulder at theinner end of the counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in thecounterbore against the shoulder, the neck of the bottle being threadedin the counterbore against the valve seat, wherein the valve seat has acentral port, the valve being located on the side of the seat toward thebore, the stem extending outward through the port and being smaller thanthe port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of the stem, the springbeing a coil compression spring surrounding the stem and reacting fromthe seat against the guide, and said valve seat having a groove for flowof air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed, saidgroove being sufficiently large readily to allow for flow of air but toosmall to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve isclosed.

7. An applicator for ink or the like, and particularly for spreading arelatively thick ink over a stencil, comprising a head, an applicatorroller carried by the head, said roller comprising a rigid core having asoft resilient porous covering, said head having an elongate manifoldtherein extending generally parallel to said roller and a series ofholes extending laterally from the manifold through the head spaced atintervals along the length of the manifold for conducting ink or thelike from the manifold for application to the roller, said head havingan extension constituting a socket extending therefrom with a passageleading from the socket into the manifold, a plastic squeeze bottlehaving a neck threaded in the socket, said bottle constituting areservoir for the ink or the like and a handle for the applicator, andvalve means for controlling flow of the ink or the like from the bottleinto the manifold and allowing return of air to the bottle comprising avalve seat in the socket, a valve having a valve stem extending into theneck of the squeeze bottle, a spring biasing the valve to a closedposition against the seat, said valve being adapted to open against thebias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and a guide on the valvestem slidable in the neck of the bottle, said guide being formed toallow for passage of ink and air through the neck of the bottle, andsaid valve means having a passage for flow of air past the valve intothe bottle when the valve is closed, said passage being sutficientlylarge readily to allow for flow of air but too small to allow undueleakage of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

8. An applicator as set forth in claim 7 wherein the socket has a boreand a threaded counterbore at its outer end, providing a shoulder at theinner end of the counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in thecounterbore against the shoulder, the neck of the bottle being threadedin the counterbore against the valve seat, wherein the valve seat has acentral port, the valve being located on the side of the seat toward thebore, the stem extending outward through the port' and being smallerthan the port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of the stem, thespring being a coil compression spring surrounding the stem and reactingfrom the seat against the guide, and said VQ Q Se t ha ing a groove forflow of air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed,said groove being sufiiciently large readily to allow for flow of airbut too small to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when thevalve is closed.

9. An applicator for ink or the like, and particularly for spreading arelatively thick ink over a stencil, comprising a head having anelongate recess therein, a transfer member carried by the head extendinglengthwise of the recess, an applicator roller carried by the headengaging the transfer member, said roller comprising a rigid core havinga soft resilient porous covering, said head having an elongate manifoldtherein extending generally parallel to said transfer member and aseries of holes extending laterally from the manifold to the recessspaced at intervals along the length of the manifold for conducting inkor the like from the mani fold to the transfer member for application tothe roller, said head having an extension constituting a socketextending therefrom with a passage leading from the socket into themanifold, a squeeze bottle having a neck threaded in the socket, saidbottle constituting a reservoir for the ink or the like and a handle forthe applicator, and valve means for controlling flow of the ink or thelike from the bottle into the manifold and allowing return of air to thebottle comprising a valve seat in the socket, a valve having a valvestem extending into the neck of the bottle, a spring biasing the valveto a closed position against the seat, said valve being adapted to openagainst the bias of the spring upon squeezing the bottle, and a guide onthe valve stem slidable in the neck of the bottle, said guide beingformed to allow for passage of ink and air through the neck of thebottle, and said valve means having a passage for flow of air past thevalve into the bottle when the valve is closed, said passage beingsufiiciently large readily to allow for flow of air but too small toallow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve is closed.

10. An applicator as set forth in claim 9 wherein the socket has a boreand a threaded counterbore at its outer end, providing a shoulder at theinner end of the counterbore, the valve seat being fitted in thecounterbore against the shoulder, the neck of the bottle being threadedin the counterbore against the valve seat, wherein the valve seat has acentral port, the valve being located on the side of the seat toward thebore, the stem extending outward through the port and being smaller thanthe port, the guide being fixed on the outer end of the stem, the springbeing a coil compression spring surrounding the stem and reacting fromthe seat against the guide, and said valve seat having a groove for flowof air past the valve into the bottle when the valve is closed, saidgroove being sufficiently large readily to allow for flow of air but toosmall to allow undue leakage of ink from the bottle when the valve isclosed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS469,668 Bennett Feb. 23, 1892 840,308 Garrecht Jan. 1, 1907 1,030,440Waterman June 25, 1912 1,075,941 Reed Oct. 14, 1913 1,166,033 Yoder Dec.28, 1915 2,229,707 Testi Jan. 28, 1941 2,536,291 Kaitul Jan. 2, 19512,563,842 Johnson Aug. 14, 1951 2,576,687 Krehbiel Nov. 27, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS 399,621 Great Britain Oct. 12, 1933 711,224 Germany Sept. 27,1941 843,007 France Mar. 20, 1939

